This Mama Cooks! On a Diet™

Yam Chocolate Spice Bars from Holly Clegg’s Eating Well to Fight Arthritis cookbook

2013-06-16T19:08:50Z

I saved the best for last – Holly Clegg’s recipe for Yam Chocolate Spice Bars from her new cookbook, Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC™ Eating Well To Fight Arthritis: 200 Easy Recipes and Practical Tips to Help Reduce Inflammation and Ease Symptoms [affiliate link]! Holly says that one bite of this incredible fall favorite made with a spice cake mix, yam filling and chocolate chips is a taste sensation. In fact, she finds that everyone requests this recipe after having a bite. It’s also a great way to use up leftover cooked sweet potatoes. Finally, since bar cookies freeze well, feel free to make up several batches in case you have a craving.

Yam Chocolate Spice Bars

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Recipe

Ingredients

1 (18.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed or 1 cup cooked mashed Louisiana yams
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, butter, and egg until well mixed. Spread batter into prepared pan.
In mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sweet potatoes, confectioners’ sugar, egg whites, and vanilla until creamy. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour mixture over batter in pan.
Bake 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool to room temperature and cut into squares.

Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = N/A

Servings: Makes 48 squares

Serving size: 1 square
Calories: 134
Calories from Fat: 42 (31%)
Total Fat: 5g
Saturated fat: 3g
Unsaturated fat: 2g
Sodium: 116mg
Total Carbohydrates: 22g
Sugar: 16g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 2g
Cholesterol: 12mg

Dietary Exchanges: 1 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

Recipe and photo used with permission of the author.

Yam Chocolate Spice Bars from Holly Clegg’s Eating Well to Fight Arthritis cookbook is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Chicken Thai Pizza from Holly Clegg’s Eating Well to Fight Arthritis cookbook

2013-06-16T18:48:57Z

Here’s another recipe from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC™ Eating Well To Fight Arthritis: 200 Easy Recipes and Practical Tips to Help Reduce Inflammation and Ease Symptoms [affiliate link]. Holly shares this Terrific Tip:

Buy pre-shredded carrots in bag. Purchase chopped green onions in produce department for extra ease. If Peanut Sauce is too spicy or if desired, substitute barbecue sauce. You can also top with red pepper slices for vitamin C.

If you’re gluten free, use Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza Crusts.

Chicken Thai Pizza

Chicken, onion and carrots with peanut sauce make a spunky and robust phenomenal pizza.

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Recipe

Ingredients

1 (12-inch) thin pizza crust
1/4 cup peanut sauce
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup red onion slices
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions

Preheat oven 450°F.
Spread pizza crust with peanut sauce. Top with chicken, red onion, carrots, green onion and cheese.
Place on oven rack and bake 8-10 minutes or until pizza is lightly browned. Top with cilantro, if desired.

Prep Time: 20 - 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 08 - 10 Minutes

Total Time: 28 - 40 Minutes

Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = N/A

Servings: Makes 8 (1 slice) servings

Serving size: 1 slice
Calories: 221
Calories from Fat: 69 (31%)
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 2g
Unsaturated fat: 5g
Sodium: 356mg
Total Carbohydrates: 21g
Sugar: 2g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 16g
Cholesterol: 30mg

Dietary Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 lean meat

Recipe and photo used with permission of the author.

Chicken Thai Pizza from Holly Clegg’s Eating Well to Fight Arthritis cookbook is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Wordless Wednesday: Sushi! #ww

2013-06-12T15:22:58Z

After taking the kids to the Athens Human Rights Festival, we took them over to Shokitini’s for sushi. I was proud that my kids were up for trying some new foods, like the rainbow roll. After an afternoon of punk rock and drag queens, I guess they were up for anything!

Wordless Wednesday: Sushi! #ww is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Bourbon & Chocolate Pecan Pie #glutenfree #gfcommunity

2013-06-12T15:10:25Z

As an Udi’s Gluten Free Community leader, I’m always on the lookout for recipes that I can easily make gluten free – especially desserts! We had a guest over recently, who I wanted to make something special for to thank him for connecting me with my new kinesiologist. (The doctor has done wonders for my shoulder and helped me avoid another surgery.)

Since we had a bag of pecans in the freezer – courtesy of my husband’s former landlord who has a pecan tree in his yard – I thought I’d make a gluten free version of Martha Stewart’s Sorghum-Sweetened Chocolate Pecan Pie. I had made it at Thanksgiving and loved the mixture of bourbon, sorghum, coconut palm sugar, and chocolate along with the pecans. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use some leftover chocolate.

I used a premade gluten free crust from Wholly Wholesome. I wasn’t totally happy with it as too hard to cut! Next time I use the crust (the package came with two), I won’t prebake it as maybe that’ll help. Feel free to use your favorite gluten free pie crust recipe, mix, or premade crust. Or try making a crust out of rice cakes like I did with my Chocolate and Almond Freezer Pie.

Like my freezer pie, this is not a light dessert, so make sure to serve up small pieces! However, I promise not to come over with the Diet Patrol if you want to serve it up with a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream. In my opinion, it’s yummy and decadent enough without the added goodies.

Bourbon & Chocolate Pecan Pie

Based on Martha Stewart’s Sorghum-Sweetened Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 gluten free pie shell
1/3 cup gluten free all-purpose baking mix
1/2 cup organic coconut palm sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons bourbon (I highly recommend Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey.)
1/2 cup sorghum
1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
4 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Green & Black’s 70% organic dark chocolate.)
1/2 cup buttery spread, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free all-purpose baking mix, coconut palm sugar, and salt.
Stir in eggs just enough to combine all the ingredients.
Stir in bourbon, sorghum, pecans, and chocolate.
Pour melted butter into bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
Place pie shell on a baking sheet.
Pour pie filling into shell and bake for 35 minutes. The top should be set but the center may be slightly gooey. (Test by jiggling the pan. The center may move a bit, but the sides won’t.)
Cool completely on a wire rack.
Serve at room temperature and store in the refrigerator.

Bourbon & Chocolate Pecan Pie #glutenfree #gfcommunity is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Put on your sundae best

2013-06-09T20:08:40Z

Put on your sundae best is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Layered Mexican Christmas Eve Salad with Smoked Beets #SRC

2013-06-10T04:04:33Z

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club challenge, I was thrilled to be assigned a food blogger from my old home state of Colorado, Lea Ann Brown of Cooking on the Ranch. I so miss Colorado’s food blogging community! While I was tempted to try out several of Lea Ann’s breakfast recipes (anything with an egg is A-OK with me), I decided trying her Mexican Christmas Eve Salad would be more seasonally appropriate. Yes, yes, I know it’s June, but making a nice salad for dinner seems like a good idea when it’s too hot to cook. Don’t you agree?

I took Lea Ann’s advice and make this a chopped salad and arranged it in a trifle bowl, since she felt the Mexican Christmas Eve Salad reminded her of an English trifle. In addition, I did a little research on Ensalada de Nochebuena or Christmas Eve Salad. According to Hispanic Kitchen,

Although many variations exist, three ingredients are at the core: beets, pomegranate and jicama. The root vegetable – jicama is also known as "Mexican potato," so it's an appropriate member. Beets are included for color along with pomegranate seeds sprinkled across the top. Apples, oranges, and sometimes bananas round out the list.

Lea Ann’s version uses pomegranate seeds, romaine lettuce, peanuts, oranges, jicama, along with red and golden beets. I’ve seen other recipes use pepitas (pumpkin seeds), apples, bananas, and pine nuts. I kept pretty true to her recipe, but omitted the peanuts due to my daughter’s nut allergy. I’ll serve pepitas on the side if anyone’s interested in adding them to their salad, though I doubt my kids will go for it. For the dressing, most recipes call for Crème Mexicana, which is Mexican sour cream. If you cannot find it in your grocery store or want to use something lighter, use nonfat Greek yogurt instead. I found Lea Ann’s version super thick, so I thinned it with rice vinegar. Finally, I doubled Lea Ann’s recipe so it would fit in my Pampered Chef trifle bowl.

How to smoke beets

After having smoked cauliflower at Pulaski Heights BBQ in Athens, GA, I started experimenting by smoking various vegetables from beets to kohlrabi. While you can roast beets in the oven using my method for cooking and peeling beets, I love smoking beets in my electric smoker. Here’s how:

Set smoker to 275 degrees. Add your favorite type of wood chips. And don’t forget to add water to the drip pan!
Coat an oven safe roasting pan with cooking spray. (Make sure your pan will fit inside your smoker.)
Remove beet tops from beets and set aside. (Use the beet tops to make a Simple Beet Salad.)
Wash beets. Cut into quarters and place in your roasting pan.
Place roasting pan in your smoker and cook for 3 hours or until the beets are soft when pricked with a knife or fork.
Remove from smoker and let cool.
Peel skin off beats with a paring knife.

Layered Mexican Christmas Eve Salad

Salad ingredients:

6 red beets, smoked, peeled and roughly chopped
1 romaine heart, coarsely chopped
1 small jicama, peeled and roughly chopped
4 navel oranges, peeled and roughly chopped
2 (5.3 ounce) containers pomegranate arils

Directions:

Layer ingredients in your trifle bowl in the order listed. For fun you may want to break up the romaine lettuce into two layers.
Since beets have a tendency to run, you may want to have them as the bottom layer.

Dressing ingredients:

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup Crème Mexicana
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 canned chipotle chilies, minced
4 tablespoons rice vinegar

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, combine ingredients and stir until blended.
Serve on the side.

More from the Secret Recipe Club!

Want to join the Secret Recipe Club? You can sign up here.

Layered Mexican Christmas Eve Salad with Smoked Beets #SRC is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Hummus & Tabbouleh Salad from Holly Clegg’s Eating Well to Fight Arthritis

2013-06-04T13:44:03Z

This week and next, I’ll be sharing some recipes from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC™ Eating Well To Fight Arthritis: 200 Easy Recipes and Practical Tips to Help Reduce Inflammation and Ease Symptoms [affiliate link].

Let’s start with Holly’s Hummus & Tabbouleh Salad. She told me she made this for a party and everyone was raving about it. She’s been using the Hummus &Tabbouleh Salad as an appetizer, yet it's kind of like a salad, too - but with a lot of hummus! I think it would make a wonderful vegetarian sandwich spread, don’t you?

If you’re gluten free, substitute quinoa for the tabbouleh and serve on brown rice tortillas or gluten free bread.

Hummus & Tabbouleh Salad

A layered mound of fantastic flavors makes a splendid Mediterranean salad. Serve with toasted pita bread. Also, makes a great dip.

Did you know that parsley is also a good source of plant iron? One cup contains about 20% of your RDA.

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Recipe

Ingredients

1 (5.25-ounce) box Tabbouleh mix wheat salad (makes 2 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf preferred)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (10-ounce) container roasted red pepper hummus
1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Directions

In bowl, prepare tabbouleh mix according to package instructions. After water is absorbed, fluff with fork and add olive oil, mixing well.
To tabbouleh, add red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, lemon juice and season to taste.
On large serving plate, spread hummus, top with tabbouleh salad and sprinkle with feta. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 50 Minutes

Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = N/A

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 308
Calories from Fat: 103 (34%)
Total Fat: 12g
Saturated fat: 1g
Unsaturated fat: 11g
Sodium: 909mg
Total Carbohydrates: 47g
Sugar: 7g
Fiber: 11g
Protein: 9g
Cholesterol: 3mg

Dietary Exchanges: 3 starch, 2 fat

Recipe and photo used with permission of the author.

Hummus & Tabbouleh Salad from Holly Clegg’s Eating Well to Fight Arthritis is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Coffee & Vanilla Yogurt Popsicles #whatsyourid

2013-06-06T00:42:39Z

The folks at International Delight asked me to create a recipe based on my favorite I.D. flavor of coffee creamer, Sugar Free French Vanilla. I love making iced coffee when it’s hot out, and International Delight’s Sugar Free French Vanilla allows me to indulge in something sweet and creamy without all the calories. I also love their Vanilla Light Iced Coffee for just the same reason. However, I prefer to make my iced coffee from scratch because it allows me to use up leftover coffee from breakfast.

Taking the iced coffee idea one step further, I thought it would be fun to make a frozen treat using coffee, Greek yogurt, and Sugar Free French Vanilla International Delight, since this flavor tastes like French vanilla ice cream to me. The resulting Coffee & Vanilla Yogurt Popsicles remind me of the coffee yogurt I grew up on, which was my mom’s favorite flavor. Plus, it’s a great afternoon pick me up treat that I don’t too guilty about since it’s fairly healthy.

This is a basic recipe, so have fun with it by using your favorite International Delight coffee creamer. You can also add some berries, vanilla protein powder, or ground flax or chia seed for a fiber and nutrition boost to these creamy popsicles.

As far as popsicle molds go, my favorites are made by Tovolo, but you can use anything you have on hand, such as Dixie cups and wooden popsicle sticks.

Coffee & Vanilla Yogurt Popsicles

Makes 12 (1/2 cup) popsicles

Ingredients:

1 (24 ounce) carton plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups International Delight Sugar Free French Vanilla
1 1/2 cups strong coffee, at room temperature or cooler

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Blend ingredients until combined and there are no lumps of Greek yogurt.
Carefully pour mixture into popsicle molds and place in freezer. Freeze until popsicles are solid.

Hey American, what’s your I.D.?

Join the fun by going to WhatsYourID.com and creating an I.D. flavor profile. Not only can you find out what your friends’ favorite flavors are, you can also win prizes!

Prizes include:

Magical Trip grand prize
International Delight coffee mugs, tumblers and creamers
Visa gift cards
International Delight reusable grocery bags
Cold Stone gift cards
Beach towels
Free International Delight for a year
Baking Kit: Kitchen Aid mixer, apron and coupons
Coffee Bar Kit: Kuerig Coffee Maker, Folgers K-cups, coupons, mug, and Cinnabon Cinnamon

What's Your ID? International Delight is looking for their most passionate flavor fans. Put your ID on the map to enter to win a Magical Trip, play games and discover more unexpected delight. Share your ID flavor at http://whatsyourid.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Coffee & Vanilla Yogurt Popsicles #whatsyourid is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee

2013-06-05T14:56:23Z

When I think of Chattanooga, Tennessee, I usually don’t think of world class art museums. However, the Hunter Museum of American Art pleasantly surprised me. It’s a wonderful museum whose collection goes from Colonial through 1900 in the 1905 Mansion side of the museum, to the 20th and 21st centuries in the Hunter Museum’s modern East and West Wings. I recognized pieces of art that I'd only seen in text books like Trapper's Bride by Alfred Jacob Miller and The Wreck of the Ole '97 by Thomas Hart Benton. The museum was also running an amazing special exhibit by Whitfield Lovell called Deep River.

While I think my son, Nathan, was a bit bored by the paintings, he was fascinated by a video showing how artists who work in glass sculpt, blow and mold their creations. My daughter, Lucie, took time to stop by the various stations to fill a ledger with her thoughts or to draw a picture. My husband enjoyed the pop art paintings of Robert Rauschenberg, and I was captivated by the glass sculptures. At the Hunter Museum of American Art, there’s definitely something for the entire family to enjoy.

Admission is $9.95 for adults and $4.95 for youth ages three to 17. Afterwards, take time to walk over the Ruth S. and A. William Holmberg Pedestrian Bridge, which is made out of glass and a bit creepy to walk over if you don’t like heights. The bridge takes you to the nearby Walnut Street Bridge and Chattanooga’s riverfront attractions. (Make sure to bring your walking shoes!) Or you can go the other way and visit the River Gallery Sculpture Garden and visit the Bluff View Art District.

Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Holly Clegg’s BBQ Chicken Pizza

2013-06-04T13:35:49Z

Living in a post-graduation world can be stressful for many. You’re looking for work or may have just landed your first real job. You’re living on your own and you may be missing the ease of college life. Well, my friend and guest blogger, Holly Clegg, has a wonderful cookbook for those just starting to cook for themselves, roommates and friends - Holly Clegg's trim&TERRIFIC KITCHEN 101: Secrets to Cooking Confidence: Cooking Basics Plus 150 Easy Healthy Recipes (affiliate link) – which features delicious and easy-to-make recipes like this one for BBQ Chicken Pizza. (Holly’s Terrific Tip: Great option to use leftover or rostisserie chicken for a quick meal.)

Find more of Holly’s trim& TERRIFIC® recipes at hollyclegg.com and The Healthy Cooking Blog. Don’t forget to check out Holly’s new cookbook, Clegg's trim&TERRIFIC Eating Well to Fight Arthritis: 200 easy recipes and practical tips to help reduce inflammation and ease symptoms (affiliate link).

Graduation – don’t let the kitchen be stressful in a time of change

So you just graduated, now what? Graduation and moving out of the nest and into your first apartment can be a very exciting yet overwhelming time. Don’t let the kitchen be a reason to stress. Holly Clegg's trim&TERRIFIC KITCHEN 101: Secrets to Cooking Confidence is your answer to all things food, helping you stock your pantry, and cook your favorite meals healthy and easy!

This will be your go-to book for simple dishes that feed and please – no need for unhealthy dining out! Forget dialing the delivery guy when you can whip up this fast food BBQ Chicken Pizza in no time! With just a few simple savory ingredients you can keep on hand you can easily impress – and this pizza happens to be good for you! With everything you need to know about tackling the kitchen, from healthy delicious recipes to all you need to whip them up – this cookbook, KITCHEN 101: Secrets to Cooking Confidence is a must have for the proud graduate this season!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Nothing beats this all-time easy favorite.

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Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided
1 (10-13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust or Boboli crust
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese or reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (or combination)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions

Preheat oven 425°F.
In large nonstick skillet, season chicken to taste and stir-fry over medium heat until done. Remove to bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce.
Coat nonstick pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll crust and place in pan; starting at center, press out with hands. Spread pizza crust with remaining 3/4 cup sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, red onion slices, chicken and green onions.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = N/A

Servings: Makes 8 servings

Serving size: 1 slice
Calories: 271
Calories from Fat: 62 (23%)
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated fat: 3g
Unsaturated fat: 4g
Sodium: 569mg
Total Carbohydrates: 28g
Sugar: 12g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 21g
Cholesterol: 50mg

Dietary Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 other carbohydrate, 2 1/2 lean meat

Recipe and photo used with permission of the author.

Holly Clegg’s BBQ Chicken Pizza is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!